Classic Easy Meyer Lemon Bars With Shortbread Crust

Lemon bars - crisp, buttery crust and creamy lemon filling, make this classic a popular favourite. This is a simple recipe. From making the crust in the food processor to just whisking and pouring your filling into the pan. They bake up beautifully with the nicest lemony filling that is just enough tart and sweet - not too sweet, but just enough to meet the tartness right in the middle.

There are so many lemon bar recipes out there, and I’m very sure that there may be some that yield a creamier filling or a richer one but they also probably require making a custard and a few extra steps. I was looking for a fab bar that requires as few steps as possible with a delicious filling that is easy to make and a buttery press in crust. This was definitely it.

I chose to use meyer lemons for these lemon bars as this is the first year that I have had them available to me so I was super excited to get my hands on some and enjoy their flavour to the fullest. They are said to be a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange. They tend to be slightly sweeter than other lemons, the are a little smaller and rounder in size with a slightly orange tinge of color to their skin and pulp. Their rind/zest is much more fragrant and that is why I recommend you don’t stinge on it in the recipe where it calls for it. That being said you can definitely use a different variety of lemons in this recipe, in fact, you can use any other citrus in the place of the lemon also. The measurements stay the same though and you will get a different citrus note of flavour according to the citrus you choose.

These were a total hit with my family - they were gone so fast. I was hoping to save one for a friend of mine who adores lemon bars but not this batch. None made it alive after a day. Another batch is definitely in order! Make sure and make one for yourselves as well - you will love them.

Recipe

Ingredients

For the crust

1¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

10 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 tsp lemon zest

For the filling

4 eggs

1 egg yolk

¾ cup sugar

2 Tbs. powdered sugar plus more for dusting after they are baked

¼ cup flour

2 Tbs. Meyer lemon zest

½ cup Meyer lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Line an 8 x 8 square baking pan with parchment paper then spray with nonstick spray.

In the bowl of a food processor add the flour, the lemon zest, both sugars and salt and pulse to combine.

Add the butter and pulse until the dough comes together.

Empty out the dough from the food processor into the pan and gently press the dough into it and bake for 20 minutes.

Carefully pour the filling over the warm crust and bake for another 25 minutes or until the filling is just barely set. (If you don’t want the lemon zest in the bar, after whisking pour the filling through a metal mesh sieve or leave it out completely

Allow the lemon bars to cool at room temperature and then to cool and set completely in the fridge for at least 1-2 two hours or overnight before cutting and serving.

Cut the bars and allow them to come to room temperature before serving or serve right from the fridge dusted with powdered sugar and with slices of meyer lemon before serving.